


Surprise Visit

by rosequartzstars



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, F/M, Friendship, Hermione Granger is a Good Friend, Hogwarts Era, Hogwarts Third Year, Romantic Friendship, crookshanks is there, hermione sneaks in to visit ron, hogwarts infirmary, ron is in the infirmary, ron's leg is still broken, they're 13 in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:35:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25204069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosequartzstars/pseuds/rosequartzstars
Summary: After escaping the Shrieking Shack, Ron has spent the past two days alone in the infirmary as his leg heals— and he’s going mad with boredom. Lucky for him, there’s a certain someone who’ll defy the rules she’s usually hellbent on following to pay him a visit.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 3
Kudos: 24





	Surprise Visit

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for the Romione Fic Fest 2020 on Tumblr, for the prompt "Crookshanks." :)
> 
> You can find the original here: https://romioneficfest.tumblr.com/post/619099072062783488/a-surprise-visit

He was going crazy.

When you grew up with six siblings in a cramped house, and then on top of that attended a magic school, getting lonely was a surefire path to going crazy, and Ron sure had felt the effects in scarcely the two days he'd had to be in the infirmary as his leg healed.

The days had been glorious, and he'd felt a twang of envy twist his stomach as he caught a glimpse of scarlet robes whizzing through the blue sky in the distance, as Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team no doubt made the best of the spring with some friendly matches. He could easily picture Hermione leaning against a tree, too, knees tucked to her chest and chin buried in a book, taking a break from the shuttered library to enjoy the warm sun.

And where was he? Stuck in the infirmary, with a grouchy Madam Pomfrey coming in every so often to tend to him, a leg immobile and a window his only connection to the outside world. Not even the exemption from schoolwork could cheer him up: he needed to get out.

But there was no chance of sneaking out with Madam Pomfrey's sergeant-like vigilance, so he was confined to skulking alone, in his bed, and in fact was still doing so when Madam Pomfrey locked up the infirmary for the night and extinguished the candles with a flick of her wand.

All was silent: he was the only one in the infirmary, which made it all the worse— he almost wished Neville could have an accident in class, just so he could be wheeled here and he'd have someone to talk to... He rolled over in his bed, facing away from the door, and resigned himself to the end of another long day of boredom.

And then he heard a meow.

It was unmistakable: the same meow he'd been chasing after for the past year, trying to save his poor pet...

"Crookshanks?" he muttered, and a pit in his stomach opened: what if it was a trap, what if Snape had snuck in to take revenge on him for making him look like a fool in front of the Minister...?

He grabbed his wand from the little bedside table and swiveled slowly onto his right side, shaking slightly, as he turned to face whoever it was out there.

He did not expect, however, to see the shadowy outline of a bushy-haired witch, who immediately lunged at him and clamped a hand over his mouth as he opened it to scream.

"Are you mad, Ronald?" came Hermione's hurried whisper. "Are you aware of how many rules I'm breaking? So keep it down, because if I get caught..." He looked quizzically at Crookshanks, who was settled in her free arm like a furry orange baby. She caught his gaze and looked down at the cat too, and smiled: "Oh, yeah, I had to bring him," she said, scratching him behind the ears. "He's gotten quite used to sleeping in the same bed as me, and if I leave the bed he starts mewling, I couldn't leave him alone, poor baby..."

You couldn't have paid Ron to view Crookshanks as a _poor baby_ , much less to sleep in the same bed as him, but there were more pressing questions zooming around his mind. She still hadn't removed her hand, but Ron began indignantly spouting questions, muffled against her palm. "Are you going to be quiet now?" He nodded. She removed her hand.

Ron gasped and rubbed the corners of her mouth where her fingers had been clasped: "Blimey, Hermione, I have so many questions..."

"Let me guess: the first one is 'how?'"

"Always a step ahead."

"Oh, it was easy: I have the Time-Turner, so all I had to do was stay up a bit after the other girls and then turn it back an hour."

"Still doesn't answer how you got in without getting caught— or how you're going to get out, for that matter."

"Well, Alohomora did the door nicely, and besides..." she smirked, and pulled out the Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map from behind her back. Ron's jaw dropped, but she anticipated his question again: "Oh, it wasn't hard, they were in Harry's bag, and he forgot to take it up to his dorm from the common room."

Ron nodded solemnly, amazed at her cleverness, but also making a mental note never to leave his stuff laying around where Hermione could get to it. "Would you look at that, Hermione Granger breaking the rules of both Hogwarts _and_ trust between friends."

"Stop it, Ron, don't put it that way, you're going to make me feel bad," she whined, bending over to place a fussing Crookshanks on the floor so he could stretch his legs.

"Oh, I'm not trying to guilt you, just never thought I'd see the day," he grinned, and she looked away in embarrassment. "Okay, last question: why?"

"To keep you company, of course," she blurted out a little too quickly, and was glad the infirmary was still dark so he wouldn't see the flush rushing into her cheeks. "I thought about how bored you must be, and... To tell the truth, I miss you..."

Her answer took him aback too: she'd broken all these rules to keep him company? He expressed his bewilderment: "Let me get this straight: you broke curfew, stole _two_ of Harry's possessions, snuck into the infirmary, and carried that demented cat all the way over here just for me?"

"Get off your high hippogriff, Ronald, I'm the one doing you a favor," she said haughtily, hoping (in vain) that the blush had subsided, and pulled up a chair next to his bed. She took a seat and began rummaging through her bag, pulling out packages of Chocolate Frogs, a carton of Every-Flavored Beans, and two butterbeers and placing them on his bed. "I wanted to bring chess, but you know you have that one bishop who's especially talkative, and I couldn't risk waking Madam Pomfrey..."

He didn't care: he was giddy. He grinned wildly at her as he tore at a Chocolate Frog, and he kept looking at her, eyes glinting, as he whispered, "You're mental, Hermione, you know that?"

She smiled shyly, but with the same giddiness, her cheeks still rosy: "Oh, shut up, Ronald."

And, in the silence of an otherwise deserted infirmary, they disposed to make the best out of the scant hour they had remaining before Hermione had to go back. Crookshanks still on the prowl, scurrying happily between the beds, Hermione uncorked both of the butterbeers with the butt of her wand and offered one to Ron. "Cheers," they whispered in unison, sharing a mischievous grin as they clinked the bottles together and took the first, simultaneous sip.


End file.
